Sancti Spíritus

The provincial capital, also called SANCTI SPÍRITUS, sits in the dead centre of the island, 30km inland and around 70km east of Trinidad by road. It’s a good place to stop for the night if you’re making the journey between Havana and Santiago – few visitors stay for more than a night or two, but as one of Cuba’s original seven villas founded by Diego Velázquez in the early 1500s, it has plenty of historic character and holds some appeal as one of the country’s least touristy original cities. There’s less to do and see here than in neighbouring provincial capitals, but if you keep it short you should also be able to keep it relatively sweet in Sancti Spíritus.